


Friend zone

by M_oshi



Category: Yuri!! On Ice - Fandom
Genre: Inspired by Yuri!!! on Ice, M/M, Yoi - Freeform, seungchuchu - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-30 15:35:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17226698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/M_oshi/pseuds/M_oshi
Summary: There was only so much he could take.Only so many times he could give advice.Only so many times he could be a shoulder to cry on.Only so many pictures he could be shown.Only so many times Phichit could kiss him when he was drunk, then tell him it was a mistake.There was only so much he could take.So when he was asked his theme for the season, he simply stood, placed the card down, and returned to his seat, the word staring back at the crowd.Friendzone.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi lovelies! Please enjoy! I’m not sure when the second part will be out, but hopefully soon! <3

There was only so much he could take.

Only so many times he could give advice.

Only so many times he could be a shoulder to cry on.

Only so many pictures he could be shown.

Only so many times Phichit could kiss him when he was drunk, then tell him it was a mistake.

There was only so much he could take.

So when he was asked his theme for the season, he simply stood, placed the card down, and returned to his seat, the word staring back at the crowd.

Friendzone.

~~~~~

He knew Phichit probably realized the theme was about him, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Not really.

After all, if things went as planned, he wouldn’t see the Thai until the Grand Prix, assuming they both made it there.

His free skate was going to be to Layla, by Eric Clapton, and his short program to Everything Has Changed, by Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran.

He focused on making these programs different than his usual style.

Rather than sharp, technical movements, his steps were smooth and graceful, while still keeping up his level of perfection.

It had to be perfect.

~~~~~

The first competition of his season was Skate Canada, against JJ Leroy, Yuuri Katsuki, Viktor Nikiforov, Guang-Hong Ji, and Leo de la Iglesia.

And much to his disappointment, Phichit would be in the audience.

His first event wasn’t for a few more days, in Skate America.

This left Seung-Gil to not only dodge fans and reporters, but also his fellow skaters more than usual.

And most importantly, Phichit.

~~~~~

He managed to avoid all human life forms until warm ups, where JJ felt the compulsive need to attempt and hug him, thus throwing off his timing enough for Phichit to nearly grab his sleeve.

He narrowly escaped onto the ice, with JJ giving both him and the Thai a confused look, to which Phichit responded with a sad look and a slight shake of his head.

It had to be perfect.

It had to be perfect.

The words ran on repeat through his head as he warmed up, anxiety slowly working it’s way into his stomach.

If it wasn’t perfect, none of it would matter.

None of the blood, the sweat, the tears.

None of the pain.

He wouldn’t matter.

He would take home a gold today if it killed him.

~~~~~

The world felt like it was shaking around him when his blade first hit the ice, brushing through the kiss and cry.

“Seung-“

He felt a hand grip his sleeve, and he closed his eyes, just for a moment before pulling away.

It would be perfect.

~~~~~

It was perfect.

The moment of silence after he finished caused his heart to drop, only for it to lift when the crowd erupted into screams and cries, the applause almost deafening.

He felt himself fall to the ice, tears rolling down his cheeks as his back hit the ice.

Perfect.

The word rang through his mind, and for a moment, he felt like his was glowing.

It was perfect.

He wobbled his way to his feet, scooping up a stuffed husky on the way to the kiss and cry, hesitating when he saw Phichit waiting just past his coach.

He wiped his eyes, smiling weakly at his coach, slipping his blade guards on.

“Let’s go see your score!” She said excitedly, pulling him away before Phichit could reach him, and he said a mental thanks.

~~~~~~

“With a score of 219.48, Seung-Gil Lee of Korea is currently in first place!”

He felt ready to burst as he walked away, smiling at the ground.

“Seung-Gil.”

He stopped when he heard him, a pair of shoes appearing in front of him.

“You can’t avoid me forever.”

“I can try.”

Phichit sighed, reaching out and circling Seung-Gil’s wrist with his hand, squeezing gently.

“Can we talk? Please?”

“I don’t think I have much of a choice in the matter.”

Phichit shook his head, pulling Seung-Gil to the nearest men’s room and gently pushing him inside.

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

“Yes, I have. What’s your point?” Seung-Gil glanced up, looking away when he saw the hurt in Phichit’s eyes.

“Why?”

He let out a dry laugh, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair.

“Because I can’t do it anymore. I can’t follow along behind you hoping for something that’ll never happen. I can’t keep let you kiss me every time you’re drunk. I can’t keep letting you tell me-“

“Tell you what?”

“That you love me. And then you wake up the next morning and tell it was a mistake. That you were drunk. That you didn’t mean it.”

Phichit froze, and Seung-Gil looked away, squeezing his eyes shut.

“You... You never- You never told me I said that-“

“It wouldn’t have mattered. It doesn’t matter. It was a mistake, remember?”

“Seung-“

“Please- Just leave me alone... It hurts less.”

He blinked rapidly at the ground, trying to banish tears back into his eyes.

“I’m sorry- If I’d know-“

“What would have happen? You would have lied to me? Said it was true? That you did love me? And then what? What would have happened when I expected more than for you to kiss me when your drunk and sad? I-“

“Who says I’d be lying?”

“If you felt that way you wouldn’t have told me it was a mistake. I need to go. My coach is probably looking for me.”

He brushed back Phichit, flinching when Phichit grabbed his wrist, pulling him back.

“Let go of me.”

“No.”

Phichit pressed him against the door, and kissed him.

And for a moment, he kissed back.

For one moment, it was perfect.

Then it all came back.

He pushed Phichit away quickly, his heart jumping in his chest, his breathing stunted.

“Why would you do that- Why would you do that to me-“

“Seung-Gil, I just- I wanted-“

“I just told you what it felt like when you did this to me! And then you go and do it again? You’re going to put me through that again?! Do you not care about me at all?!”

The words came out as muffled sobs, and he wiped desperately at his eyes.

“I didn’t mean to-“

“Just leave me alone!” He cried out, straightening up and trying to reel everything back in.

“Please, I-“

“I’ll see you at the Grand Prix.”

And with that, he turned his back on Phichit Chulanont.


	2. Grand Prix

The Grand Prix advanced faster than Seung-Gil would have liked. His gold at Skate America and silver in the Cup of China secured his spot early, and Phichit, Yuuri, Chris, Yurio, and Otabek weren’t far behind. 

Not that Seung-Gil has expected much different. Unfortunately, this particular blend of skaters meant they’d all go to dinner, and to clubs, and they’d all ask Seung-Gil to join. 

And that, despite being an issue in itself, was made far more difficult by his continued avoidance of Phichit. 

It wasn’t as if people hadn’t noticed yet. 

The lack of Seung-Gil on Phichit’s Instagram had been a hot topic as of late, as had Seung-Gil’s apparent ‘diss’ of Phichit at Skate America. 

His pull away from Phichit as he went onto the ice was a bigger scandal than he could have ever imagined, with their fans pouring over every bit of evidence and every interaction. 

Rumors they were dating fizzled out, followed with rumors erupting that they had broken up, rather messily people suspected. 

Which was partly true. 

They had broken up, in a way of their own. 

People would never know the truth, and that was fine with him. People didn’t always have to know the truth. 

He was entering this with one goal. 

To take home gold. 

And as a bonus goal, prove he was okay. Stronger even. Prove he definitely hadn’t been crying over Phichit even more since Skate America. Prove he didn’t need Phichit’s approval, love, or friendship. Prove he didn’t need him. He never did. 

Lies were easier to believe the longer you repeated them. At least that’s what he thought. 

He wasn’t as sure. 

~~~~~

Phichit wasn’t sure he could do this. 

Even the slightest glance at Seung-Gil made his throat close up and his eyes burn with tears. 

He constantly felt slightly sick with himself. 

His dreams were haunted with Seung-Gil’s sobs after Phichit had kissed him, the image swimming behind his eyes every time he closed them. 

It was something he never wanted to see again. 

He was too beautiful to ever have such sorrow on his face. 

And it made Phichit sick to know he’d put it there. 

So he watched from the side as he skated, landing each jump and completing each turn with grace and absolutely beauty. 

Everything Phichit knew he had in him. 

He just hadn’t seen it soon enough. And now he was gone, slipped through his fingers like sand. 

Another perfect score. 

Another perfect performance.

Perfect. 

He was perfect. And Phichit was an idiot. 

~~~~~

He felt numb, his face aching from the smile on his face, the gold medal weighing heavily around his neck. 

He had done it. 

It was perfect. 

Standing on the podium between Katsuki and Plisetsky, holding his medal up high, the Korean flag wrapped around his shoulders.

He vaguely recognized that he was crying, showing far more emotion than he would have ever deemed acceptable. 

And through his tears, across the ice, he could see him. Phichit. 

Clapping with the rest of the skaters, his eyes on Seung-Gil. 

And he was reminded how hard it was to lie to himself. 

~~~~~

Despite now being a gold medalist, with reporters scrambling to interview him, he still somehow managed to remain in the corners of the room, quietly sipping his champagne. 

Phichit would never understand how people weren’t just drawn to him. 

Sure, he was quiet, and closed off, but also easily the most gorgeous human he’d ever seen, and definitely the most interesting.

He was so smart, and always knew what to say. 

It sucks he didn’t realize sooner. 

It really sucks. 

So Phichit forced himself to be content, watching quietly from the side as Seung-Gil was interviewed, and had his hands shook, and as he downed glass of champagne after glass of champagne.

He was nervous. He could see it from across the room. 

And by the end of the night, he was definitely drunk. But that was harder to tell. 

He managed to make it a dead give away however, slipping his arms around Phichit’s waist as he waved goodbye to Yuuri and Viktor, mumbling his name against his neck. 

“Seung-Gil, you’re drunk... Lets get a cab, yeah? Call your coach so she can come to the lobby to get you-“

“No.” His voice made Phichit jump slightly

“Yes, now come on.” 

Phichit tugged Seung-Gil to a cab, pushing him in and climbing in after him, immediately finding himself with an armful of Seung-Gil, curling into him and wrapping his arms around him. 

Phichit quietly told the cabbie the hotel, finding himself absentmindedly toying with Seung-Gil’s hair.

“Are you going to take care of me tonight?” 

“I’m going to take you to your room.” 

“Then what?” 

“I’ll go to my room.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re drunk, and you’ll regret this.”

Seung-Gil was silent for a moment, seemingly mulling this over.

“Like you do?” 

If that didn’t feel like a blow to the stomach Phichit wasn’t sure what did.

“Something like that... For different reasons.”

That seemed to satisfy him for the time being. 

However, arriving at the hotel presented new issues. Seung-Gil didn’t know his room number. Or if he did, he wouldn’t tell Phichit.

“Well, I guess you’re staying with me...”

“Like a sleepover?”

“Mhmm, kinda...” 

Phichit unlocked his room, walking in and quickly depositing Seung-Gil on the bed.

“Get comfy, okay? I’ll be on the couch if you need me...” 

“Okay...” 

He sounded sleepy already.

Phichit made himself a makeshift bed on the couch, changing clothes quickly and laying down, listening to Seung-Gil’s breathing.

“Phichit...?”

“Yeah?”

“Why am I never good enough?” 

Phichit’s blood turned to ice. He hadn’t heard his friend say that in over a year. 

He never wanted to hear it again.

“Babe... It’s the exact opposite... You’re too good for anyone...”

“For you...?”

“Especially me...”

“But I want to be for you... Yours...”

“I want that too... Not right now, okay? We’ll talk in the morning... Goodnight...”

“Okay... Goodnight Phichit... I love you...”


	3. Friendzone pt. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His head was pounding.
> 
> His throat was dry.
> 
> His stomach was twisting in knots. 
> 
> And every joint on his body ached.

His head was pounding.

His throat was dry.

His stomach was twisting in knots. 

And every joint on his body ached. 

Seung-Gil groaned softly, rubbing his face. 

A hangover.

“Good morning sleepy...” 

He froze, slowly looking to the source of the voice.

There stood Phichit Chulanont, a shaky smile on his lips, hands clasped behind his back, looking more nervous than Seung-Gil had ever seen him.

“What am I doing here.” 

Good. Keep it neutral, keep it distant. 

“You got drunk and wouldn’t tell me your hotel room, so I just brought you here... Listen, I think we should talk.”

“There’s no reason for that-“ He stood quickly, immediately realizing what an awful idea it was when the world began to spin. 

“Hey, be careful! And yes, there is a reason.” 

Phichit gripped his arm, holding him upright and gently helping him sit back down.

“What reason is there exactly.” 

“Seung-Gil... You can’t keep avoiding me... Avoiding this...”

“I can try.” 

He bit his lip when his voice cracked, biting it harder when he felt tears brimming.

“Seung-Gil...”

He squeezed his eyes shut when he felt Phichit’s smooth hand on his cheek, thumb stroking under his eye. 

“Stop...” 

He sounded weak.

Pathetic.

Desperate.

Everything he’d strived not to be. 

“Please... Let me explain...”

“There’s nothing to explain. I should go-“

“No, you shouldn’t. We need to talk. And if it’s not for your sake... It’s for mine... Please?”

~~~~~

Phichit kept his eyes on Seung-Gil’s face, taking in every inch. 

Because he was scared he’d never get the chance again.

“You wanted to talk... So talk.”

Seung-Gil’s voice startled him from his daze, and he straightened up slightly.

“I... I’m sorry- And I know that doesn’t mean much but... It’s true. I’m sorry I wasn’t more considerate of you, and your feelings... I’m sorry I said the things I did... I’m sorry I didn’t realize sooner what a gem you are... And how lucky I was to have you... And I miss you so much- I really do love you Seung-Gil... And I mean that.” 

Phichit risked a glance at his friends face, and felt his heart break all over again.

Seung-Gil’s eyes were squeezed shut, tears steadily flowing down his cheeks. 

He reached out shakily, wiping the tears away. 

“I’m sorry-“

“I know! That’s what makes this so hard!” 

Phichit pulled back slightly, flinching when Seung-Gil pulled away from him further, looking up at him. 

“I know you’re sorry- And I want to forgive you so bad- But I can’t, because it’ll all turn out the same, and I’ll have to go through this whole thing again-“ 

Phichit recognized the frantic tone and stunted breath, and quickly grabbed Seung-Gil’s hands.

“It’s okay... It won’t turn out like that... Like this... Because this time I’ll be chasing you... It’s alright, breathe...”

He pressed their foreheads together, their fingers linked, knees pressed close together. 

Close. 

They were so close. 

He was so close. 

He could feel Seung-Gil’s breath evening out, brushing across his skin. 

He could feel his heart steadying.

He could feel him. 

~~~~~

Seung-Gil opened his eyes, and was immediately met with Phichit’s staring back at him. 

And his heart fluttered. 

He was there. 

And he wanted Seung-Gil.

“Kiss me...” 

He felt Phichit suck in a breath, saw his eyes flutter, felt his pulse speed up. 

And them he kissed him. 

Kissed him slow.

Kissed him gentle.

Kissed him sweet.

And kissed him sober. Because he wanted to. Not because he was drunk, and Seung-Gil was a warm body to keep him company.

Because he wanted to. 

He pulled Phichit closer, fingers slightly linked tightly, and bodies still pressed close. 

He was so close. 

And Seung-Gil loved it. 

He loved him. 

And God, he’d do anything for Phichit to say it back. 

To mean it when he said it back. 

To tell him those three words that would mean so much-

“I love you...” 

His heart stopped. His eyes flew open and he pulled back, just enough to separate their lips.

“What...?”

“I love you... I’m sorry, I didn’t realize before I’d already lost you...” 

“You love me...?”

“I love you...” 

He whispered the words that time. 

And again.

And again.

Softly, between kisses and gentle touches.

And Seung-Gil believed him. 

Just like he did every single time, he believed him. 

Because if he believed him for long enough, maybe, just maybe it’d be true. 

He’d love him.

The way Seung-Gil loved him. 

He’d be his, the way Seung-Gil had always dreamed, prayed, and wished for. 

Because Phichit loved him. 

~~~~~

Phichit blinked awake, looking at the sleeping figure next to him, smiling lightly and running his fingers along his skin. 

He was beautiful. 

He’d always loved the way Seung-Gil looked when he was sleeping. 

Face relaxed, rid of all the stress and worry he usually carried. Hair falling into his face, slightly more messy than usual. 

Rising and falling with his breath. 

He really was beautiful. He’d always been beautiful.

But now he was truly seeing it. 

Eyes open to everything his best friend is.

More than his best friend.

Seung-Gil let out a soft sigh, eye slowly opening as he stretched out, his hand immediately going to Phichit’s side of the bed, looking over with slightly surprise when his fingertips brushed Phichit’s skin.

“You’re still here...”

“Mhmm... And I’m not going anywhere, Thīräk...”


End file.
